Durbin Joins Chicago Cred To Announce Federal Funding To Prevent Gun Violence

CHICAGO ? Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Chicago CRED and its founder Arne Duncan, former U.S. Secretary of Education, to announce nearly $4 million in new federal funding CRED will be receiving through the U.S. Department of Justice for a Community Violence Intervention project to reduce gun violence.

Chicago CRED will use this federal funding to expand the capacity of community-based organizations that provide community violence intervention (CVI) services in 22 neighborhoods across Chicago that have the highest rates of gun violence. Chicago CRED plans to develop a comprehensive curriculum tailored to each organization designed to strengthen their organizational, programmatic, and operational capacity.

"Across the country, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children. Here in Chicago, we know the pain too well," said Durbin. "But with the right support, we can help young people cope with these traumatic experiences and thrive. This federal funding will enable Chicago CRED to advance their community efforts to break the cycle of violence through mental health services and job training programs."

"We are very grateful to our partners at the federal level for recognizing the importance of community violence intervention and for supporting our work. This funding will help serve more people at risk and, ultimately, help save lives," said Arne Duncan, Chicago CRED founder.

Durbin has led efforts in Congress to combat gun violence. Durbin was a strong supporter of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which cracks down on straw purchasing, expands background checks for buyers under 21 years of age, takes steps to close the "boyfriend loophole," supports state red flag laws, and offers billions in funding for counseling, mental health, and trauma support for victims of gun violence.

While the bipartisan legislation was a starting point for gun reform, Durbin is a staunch advocate for the Assault Weapons Banand additional gun safety measures. Since BSCA was signed into law, Durbin held a full committee hearing on public safety and gun safety laws in a post-Bruen America; filed an amicus brief in opposition to legal challenges in U.S. v. Rahimi, in which the Supreme Court ultimately ruled to uphold a ban on firearm possession for domestic violence offenders; condemned the Supreme Court decision in Garland v. Cargill, which ruled a bump stock does not convert a rifle into a machine gun; and introduced legislation to curb firearms trafficking enabled by weak American gun laws, among other efforts.

Durbin has introduced bipartisan legislation to increase support for children who have been exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma, including witnessing community violence, parental addiction, or abuse. The Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act dramatically increases funding for community-based efforts to prevent and mitigate the impact of trauma, and it expands training and workforce development efforts to support health care, education, social services, first responders, and community leaders to foster resilience and deliver services to heal the impact of trauma.

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